


You Can Speak Right to My Heart

by velvetjinx



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Notting Hill Fusion, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Angst, Bottom Bucky Barnes, Canon Divergence - Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America Steve Rogers/Modern Bucky Barnes, Fluff, Happy Ending, Inspired by a Movie, M/M, Minor Steve Rogers/Brock Rumlow, Oral Sex, Top Steve Rogers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-01
Updated: 2019-05-01
Packaged: 2020-02-10 20:10:38
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,221
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18667528
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/velvetjinx/pseuds/velvetjinx
Summary: Bucky is an ordinary guy, living an ordinary life running his vinyl store in Brooklyn.Enter Steve Rogers, aka Captain America, to turn Bucky’s life upside down.





	You Can Speak Right to My Heart

**Author's Note:**

> I love the movie Notting Hill. And I was watching it for the 50th time and was like “BUT WHAT IF SHRUNKYCLUNKS” and then... this happened. 
> 
> Title from Ronan Keating’s “When You Say Nothing At All”.

Bucky loved his job. He owned a second hand vinyl store called Vintage Vinyl in Brooklyn, and although it wasn’t necessarily the most popular store he made enough to get by. He was ably assisted by Rob, who was generally recognized to be a human disaster but also was a surprisingly good salesman. His life was good, but sometimes he felt as though there was something missing. 

Rob had just gone out to get them coffees—one for Bucky, four for Rob—when the bell above the door rang. Bucky glanced up idly, then glanced up again, this time more sharply. Standing in the doorway, larger than life and five times as handsome, was Captain America. 

Bucky nearly swallowed his tongue.

“C-can I help you?” Bucky stammered out.

Captain America looked up from a pile of records, smiling crookedly. “No, thank you, just browsing.”

Bucky nodded, trying to be cool. He happened to look at the security monitor for the back of the store, and narrowed his eyes.

“Excuse me for a second,” he said, and strode quickly to where a young man was standing, looking rather shifty. Bucky smiled at him. “Hi. This is a little awkward, but we do have cameras in this part of the store.”

The guy stiffened. “So?”

“So I saw you put that tape down your pants.”

“What tape? There isn’t a tape down my pants.”

“Well, okay, I tell you what. I’ll call the cops, and if there’s no tape down your pants then you have my sincerest apologies, and you can have my coffee.”

“The cops?” The guy looked slightly panicked, and Bucky nodded. “Okay, say there was a tape down my pants. What would be the options?”

“Well, ideally, I’d go back to the counter and you would take the tape out of your pants, and either buy it or wipe it off and put it back.”

Bucky went back to the counter and watched on the monitor as the guy took the tape out his pants, wiped it on his rather dirty looking shirt, and put it back. When the guy came out front and saw Captain America approaching the counter with various vinyls in hand, he gaped.

“Um, can I have your autograph?” the guy squeaked, and Captain America gave him a long look.

“Sure,” he said at length. Bucky gave him a piece of paper and a pen. “What’s your name?”

“Rufus.” Captain America scribbled on the paper for a few moments, then handed it to Rufus, who looked at it, confused. “What does it say?”

“It says, ‘Dear Rufus,’ and that’s my signature, and here it says, ‘you belong in jail’.”

“Good one,” Rufus said with a lopsided grin. “Do you want my number?”

Captain America looked at him with a small smile. “Tempting, but… no.”

“Okay,” the guy said good naturedly, and left. 

Captain America shook his head, then turned to Bucky, handing him a small pile of vinyl. Bucky was expecting it to be a pile of 1940s classics; what he wasn’t expecting was Nirvana’s _Nevermind_ , Foo Fighters’ _The Color and the Shape_ , Silverchair’s _Frogstomp_ , and The Beatles’ _Revolver_. Bucky’s eyes widened.

“Good, uh. Good choices.” 

“Thanks,” Captain America said, smiling bashfully. 

“And hey, if you ever need any recommendations, I’d be happy to help.”

“That’s great, thank you.” He paid, and took his bag. “Well, thanks a lot.”

“Come back any time!” Bucky said brightly, and as soon as Captain America had left he sank onto his stool. 

Captain America. In his record store.

Fuck.

***

About an hour later, Rob was demanding more coffee, so Bucky headed out onto the streets of Brooklyn in search of caffeinated beverages. As he was walking back, Rob’s coffee in one hand and his own orange juice in another, his eye was caught by someone doing tricks on his bike and he looked away from where he was going just long enough to bump into someone, spilling orange juice all over them.

“Oh, god, I’m so sorry!” Bucky blurted out, before looking up at his victim’s amused face.

Oh no.

Oh _no_.

“Well, this wasn’t exactly how I’d imagined my afternoon going,” _Captain fucking America_ said with a laugh.

“Oh god, I’m so, so sorry. You’re welcome to come back to mine if you want to get cleaned up. I live just across the street.” Bucky wondered if it was possible to redact the spoken word, but it was already out there.

Captain America narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. “When you say across the street, what do you mean? Give it to me in yards.”

“Um, twenty yards?” Bucky said helplessly. “That’s my apartment block there, with the blue door.”

Captain America nodded. “Okay. Thanks.” 

Bucky led the way to his door, and let them into his apartment. As fucking usual, his roommate hadn’t cleaned up, and for some reason had left his dirty underwear over the back of the sofa.

“Uh, bathroom is through there,” Bucky told him, and Captain America nodded.

As soon as the bathroom door had closed behind Cap, Bucky slumped onto one of the armchairs. “Shit,” he muttered to himself, then got up and tried to make the place look a little more presentable. The underwear, he moved with a pen, which he immediately put in the trash. His roommate was okay—a Welsh artist with an interesting sense of humor that Bucky didn’t always understand—but he was chronically untidy and occasionally said things that stood Bucky's hair on end.

Captain America emerged from the bathroom, wearing a different shirt and looking so hot that Bucky nearly swallowed his tongue. 

“Um, can I get you anything? Coffee? Juice? Toast?” Bucky babbled, and Captain America looked like he was hiding a smile. 

“No, thank you.”

As they stood there in awkward silence, there was the sound of keys in the door, and Bucky's eyes widened. “Oh my god, that’s my roommate. I’m so sorry, but there’s no excuse for him.”

The door opened, and Rhys ambled in, past both of them, as if he barely noticed them. He scratched his ass and belched, then opened the door to his bedroom and shuffled inside. 

When the door closed behind him, Bucky took a deep breath.

Cap raised an eyebrow. “Interesting guy.”

“You have no idea.”

“I’d better go,” Cap said, and Bucky was about to nod when Cap looked at him searchingly before pressing a light kiss against his lips. 

While Bucky tried to get his bearings— _Captain America had just kissed him!_ —Cap opened the door and left, leaving Bucky staring at the closed door in awe.

When he got back to the store, Rob stared at him. “You okay, Bucky? You kinda look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“I’m fine, I just. I spilled the coffee and didn’t have change for more.”

“Oh. That’s okay, I’ll go get some.”

Rob left with a concerned look over his shoulder, and Bucky flopped into his chair. 

Captain America had kissed him.

What, from the bottom of his heart, the _fuck_.

***

A few days later, Bucky had just picked his cellphone up from getting the screen repaired. (Rhys had sat on it. It had been on the countertop, but Rhys had still managed to sit on it and break it.) When he switched it on, he had various messages—from his mom, from Becca, from his mom again, from an unknown number, from his mom _again_ …

Wait.

He looked at the message from the unknown number. _Hey, got your number from Tony—best not to ask how. I was wondering if you wanted to meet up? Call me and let me know. Steve_

Bucky looked at the date on the message. Two days ago. _Shit_.

He immediately called Steve—Steve!—and paced nervously as he waited for an answer.

After more rings than was good for Bucky's anxiety, Steve answered. _”Hello?”_

“Hi! Hello! It’s Bucky, Bucky Barnes. I own a… vinyl store?”

_”Hey, Bucky Bucky Barnes. I was starting to wonder if I’d ever hear from you. You sure know how to play it cool.”_

“Oh, god, no, I’ve never played anything cool in my life! My cellphone was in getting fixed. My roommate—who I’ll be sure to strangle later—sat on it and broke the screen.”

_”Ah. So, uh, you busy tonight?”_

“Not even a little bit. Why?” 

_”Maybe you could come over tonight? I’ll be at the Avengers Tower.”_

“Um, sure! What time?”

_”Say five p.m.?”_

“Okay, uh, I guess I’ll see you then.”

Bucky ended the call and stared at his phone for a long moment, unable to believe what was happening. Had Steve just asked him out? Or did he want to meet for some other reason? Bucky racked his brains but couldn’t think of any other reason why Steve might have invited him to Avengers Tower. Unless Steve wanted him to meet the other Avengers.

He bit his lip, eyes widening. 

What the hell was he supposed to wear?

***

Bucky left his apartment in plenty of time to get a cab through the New York traffic, wearing black slacks and a blue button down. Nothing fancy, but dressy enough just in case. 

When he arrived at the Tower, however, the place was bustling with people. No sooner had he set foot through the door than he was accosted by a harried looking young woman with a clipboard and a headset.

“Hi, sorry we’re running a little late,” she said distractedly. “What magazine are you from?”

“Magazine? Uh… the NME?” Bucky replied, startled into the lie.

The woman raised an eyebrow, but didn’t comment. “Okay, well, here’s the pamphlet about the various charities this ball will benefit. If you want to wait in the atrium, you’ll be called.”

“Okay. Uh, my name is Bucky Barnes? I think Steve—I mean Captain America—might be expecting me?”

“Oh. Alright then, wait here.”

She bustled off, and Bucky heaved a heavy sigh. This was not what he had signed up for. 

A few minutes later, the woman returned. “Mr Barnes? Mr Rogers is ready for you now.”

Bucky nodded and followed her through to a small room, where Steve was sitting with a guy Bucky didn’t recognize. The guy nodded and left, and Bucky took a deep breath. 

“Wow, Bucky, I’m so sorry, I really thought we’d be done with this by now,” Steve told him, sincerity coloring his tone.

“It’s okay, really,” Bucky said reassuringly. “I told them I was from the NME.”

Steve began to chortle. “Nice. I am sorry, we have to do some press for a charity thing Tony set up. And it’s kinda dragging on.”

“Honestly, Steve, it’s fine. It’s a bit like a dream. It’s a dream to see you again.”

Steve’s expression softened even as Bucky kicked himself for sounding like a complete dork. “I have no idea when this is going to finish, either.”

“Are you busy afterwards?”

Steve nodded. “Yeah, I am. I just wanted to apologize for the… for the kissing thing. It was out of order, and I’m sorry.”

“It’s, uh, it’s fine!” Bucky reassured him. He didn’t tell Steve that he’d been obsessing over the kiss since it had happened, because that would just sound creepy. 

“Anyway, that was all. I just had to apologize.” Steve smiled at him, and Bucky swallowed hard before managing a tight smile back.

The man came back into the room, and looked at them. “Time’s up, I’m afraid. Did you get what you wanted?”

Bucky shook his head. “Not really, but as close as I’m gonna get. Thank you, Mr Rogers.”

He stood up and left, but before he could escape the building the young woman cornered him. “We’ll just rush you around the others,” she said brightly, and Bucky's eyes widened.

“The others?”

As it turned out, it wasn’t just Steve doing press for this charity thing, it was most of the Avengers team. By the time he was through, he’d had awkward conversations with Iron Man, Black Widow, Hawkeye, Falcon, and Scarlett Witch. But finally he was done and as he rushed towards the door, he heard the young woman call his name again.

“Oh, no,” he whined softly, but followed her.

To his surprise, she took him back to Steve’s room, where he was waiting, shirt slightly unbuttoned and looking slightly more relaxed.

“Hey,” Steve said nervously. “So, uh, the thing I was doing later I’m now no longer doing, so if you wanted, we could—”

“Yeah! No, wait, fuck, shit shit shit, I can’t. It’s my little sister’s birthday, we’ve got a dinner organized with friends.”

“Well, um. I could be your date?”

Bucky gaped. “You… you want to be my date? To my little sister’s birthday party?”

“Sure? If that’s okay?”

“I’m pretty sure it’ll make me the best big brother ever, so yeah! I mean my friend is maybe the worst cook in the world but if you can deal with that?”

Steve smiled at him, and Bucky was pretty sure in that moment he’d have said yes to whatever Steve had thought to suggest.

***

They stopped by a store to pick up something for Steve to give to Becca—despite Bucky's protestations that it wasn’t necessary, Steve insisted that he couldn’t turn up empty handed—then swung by Bucky's to pick up his own gift. By the time they reached Tessa and Carl’s, Bucky had managed to calm down slightly about the fact that Steve Rogers was his date.

He rang the doorbell, and Carl answered, as distracted as Bucky had ever seen him. “Sorry, come in, slight cooking emergency,” 

He turned away without paying much attention to either of them, and Bucky raised an eyebrow at Steve as they followed him in. When they entered the kitchen, Tessa wheeled her chair over to them, smiling. 

“Hello, Bucky.” Bucky kissed her on the cheek, and she turned to Steve, then blinked. “My gosh, you look just like—”

“Tessa!” Bucky interrupted her. “This is Steve.”

Her eyes widened. “Oh! Right. Um, Carl, come and meet Steve!”

Carl came over, smiling, his hand outstretched. “Hello, Steve… Rogers. Hi. Um, wine?”

“Yes, please,” Steve replied politely.

As the following silence began to get awkward, the doorbell rang. 

“I’ll get it!” Carl said, a shade too brightly, giving Bucky an expressive look as he passed. When he returned, he was rushing behind Becca and Bucky heard him whisper urgently, “Becca, wait, there’s something you should know…”

But it was too late. Becca spotted Steve and screeched. Steve winced, and Bucky suddenly regretted his decision to bring Steve because somehow Bucky had forgotten just how full on his little sister could be.

“Steve, this is my little sister Becca, who was apparently raised by howler monkeys. Becca, this is Steve.”

“Oh my god, did my dork brother really bring Captain America to my birthday party? How? Why? Fuck it, none of that matters, what matters is you’re here and I genuinely believe we could be best friends. So. What do you think?”

Steve paused, then smiled. “Lucky me.” There was a moment of silence, then Steve held out a small box. “Oh, this is for you. Happy birthday.”

Becca squealed. “You got me a present? Well we’re best friends already. Oh! You should marry Bucky! Then we’d be siblings and you’d be my favorite brother.”

“Hey!”

“Shhh, Bucky, it’s fine,” Becca said soothingly. “Just think about it?”

“I will,” Steve replied.

“Awesome!” Becca grinned as the doorbell rang again. 

“That'll be Alex,” Carl said, a little too deliberately, and went to answer it. When he returned, it was with Alex, a kind of bumbling guy who tried his best in all things but generally fell short. But he was a loyal friend, and had seen Bucky through his divorce somehow always managing to cheer him up. 

Alex smiled brightly around the group. “Hello everyone!”

“Uh, Alex, this is Steve,” Carl said slowly. 

“Hi, Steve.” Alex shook Steve's hand, then turned to Becca. “Happy birthday, birthday girl!” he said cheerfully. “Here's your present. It's only a hat.”

“I'm sure I'll love it,” Becca said, a hint of confusion coloring her tone, but Alex didn't seem to notice anything was up. He took the glass of wine that Carl gave him and grabbed a handful of peanuts from the bowl on the counter. 

When Steve excused himself to use the bathroom, though, Bucky was immediately pounced on. 

“Talk fast. How the hell did you meet Steve Rogers?” Carl asked, and Alex's eyes widened. 

“Steve Rogers? Oh shit, that's Steve Rogers?”

“You didn't know?” Becca asked, giggling. “How could you not know?”

“I love the Avengers,” Alex whined. “And I didn't even acknowledge him! He probably thinks I'm a total tool.”

The rest of the group collapsed into giggles while Bucky shook his head, sighing. His friends were such assholes.

When Steve returned, however, they’d all managed to somehow gain a sense of decorum, and they sat down to dinner. It was a rather adventurous beef dish which had burned quite a bit around the edges, and the beef was a little chewy. But Bucky noticed that Steve cleared his plate, and even agreed to another spoonful when Carl asked. He saw Tessa looking at Steve with pleasure shining in her eyes, and Bucky wondered if it was possible to fall in love with someone this fast.

For all that the food left a lot to be desired, the meal was filled with good, fun conversation, and even Steve joined in. When they were done, they passed around a plate of brownies, and played pennies for the last one. Everyone was pretty surprised when Steve won, and Bucky couldn’t help but pout when Steve opted to share the brownie with Becca rather than him.

“See, I told you that you would be my favorite brother,” Becca mumbled around a mouthful of brownie, and Steve smirked. Bucky gaped at him.

“Usurper!”

Steve immediately turned his most innocent look on Bucky, but he wasn’t at all fooled. He was actually pretty impressed. The media generally made Steve out to be kind of a goody two shoes, so it was nice to discover that he wasn’t actually.

When the evening was over, they said goodbye to everyone and left the apartment. The moment the door was closed, they heard a loud yell from inside, and Bucky blushed deeply.

“They always do that when I leave,” he said quickly. “Kind of a weird tradition.”

“Uh huh,” Steve said, smirking. “So, uh, wanna go for a walk? It’s such a lovely night.”

Bucky swallowed. “Sure?”

The night was almost-spring, not too cold though not terribly warm, and although the sky was dark the streets were well lit. As they walked, they passed by a garden filled with trees and flowers. The streets around them were deserted, and Steve stopped suddenly.

“What’s wrong?” Bucky asked, and Steve just shook his head, leaning in to kiss him briefly before carrying on. Bucky stood stock still for a few moments before rushing to catch up with Steve, who laced their fingers together.

They walked hand in hand until they reached Bucky's apartment block. “Thank you for inviting me tonight,” Steve said softly.

“Thank you for coming,” Bucky replied, smiling.

“I’d like to see you again? If that’s okay.”

“Sure! I mean, yeah, I’d like that.”

“Maybe catch a movie tomorrow?”

Bucky nodded. “Yeah, sounds good.”

“I’ll text you.” Steve smiled at him, squeezing his fingers lightly before letting go. “See you tomorrow, Bucky.”

“Uh, yeah,” Bucky managed, and watched as Steve walked away down the sidewalk. When he let himself in, Rhys was sitting in his underwear on the sofa, spooning cereal into his mouth while watching a cooking show on Netflix on the large TV. 

Bucky, deciding not to ask, went straight to his room and kicked off his shoes, lying on his bed and staring at the ceiling with a goofy smile on his face. Steve had kissed him! Steve had held his hand! Steve wanted to see him again!

Bucky's life was kind of amazing.

***

The following evening, they met for the seven p.m. showing of some action movie that had been given mixed reviews. Bucky didn’t even care about the movie. All he cared about was that he was getting to spend more time with Steve.

The movie was fine, but Bucky couldn’t concentrate on it at all. He was too aware of Steve's nearness: his arm pressing against Bucky's through the layers of their t-shirts; the occasional brush of their hands when they both reached for the popcorn at the same time; the occasional glances Steve shot him when he thought Bucky wasn’t looking.

When the movie was over, they wandered slowly towards Steve’s apartment. When they arrived, Steve turned to Bucky and smiled before unlocking the door and leading him inside.

The hallway was covered in flowers.

“What the hell?” Steve muttered, as a dark haired man came out of the living room with a bunch of roses in hand, smiling.

“Hey, baby, I thought I’d surprise you,” the man said, and Steve’s expression darkened.

“What the fuck, Brock?” Steve spat.

“I know you were mad at me, so I thought I’d make it up to you,” Brock said soothingly. “We can have a nice romantic night in.” He looked at Bucky, as though just realizing that he was there. “Who are you?”

“No one,” Bucky said quietly. “I’m just gonna get out of here.”

He ignored Steve's soft, “Bucky, wait,” and left quickly, heading out to the street and taking a deep breath.

Steve already had a boyfriend.

This was not what he had imagined Steve to be like, but then Bucky was used to being disappointed by both men and women so it made sense.

He went back to his apartment and crawled into bed, sighing. Maybe tomorrow he'd wake up and find out that this had all been some kind of fever dream.

***

“He has a boyfriend?” 

Carl gaped at Bucky, and Bucky nodded. “Apparently so. They’d had a fight or something, but that wasn’t exactly a good enough excuse for him to make me think…” Bucky trailed off and cleared his throat, as his friends looked on sympathetically. Bucky’s phone buzzed and he looked at it, then looked away. “He keeps trying to call me,” he said quietly, and Carl narrowed his eyes.

“I’ll fight him for you, if you want me to.”

Bucky couldn’t help but smile at that. “Thanks, but no. I don’t want my best friend to get pounded into a misshapen lump.”

“You never know,” Carl muttered. “I have righteous anger on my side.”

“I’m serious, Carl, no picking fights with Captain America just because he screwed me over.”

“Thank you,” Tessa said with an air of finality, and Carl subsided. “Now, are you ever going to answer his calls?”

Bucky shook his head. “What’s the point? So he can say, what, ‘sorry I didn’t tell you about my boyfriend’?”

Becca squeezed his hand, and Bucky took a long sip of his coffee. He could get through this. He could.

***

A month passed, and all over the news was the fall of SHIELD, the organization meant to protect which had been infiltrated by the very people it was supposed to protect against. Some of the Avengers had managed to prevent it from being any worse, but it was still pretty bad—many had died when the helicarriers had fallen, and there was to be an inquest as to how this had been allowed to happen.

The morning after everything, Bucky was at home making breakfast when the doorbell rang. Clad only in boxers, an old t-shirt, and a ‘kiss the cook’ apron, he opened the door.

There stood Steve, sunglasses on and a baseball cap pulled low over his eyes.

“Uh. Can I come in?” Steve asked thickly, and Bucky nodded, moving aside to let Steve past into the apartment.

He took Steve through to the living room, and Bucky sat on one of the chairs. Steve sat on the sofa, hands clasped and gaze towards the floor.

“I take it you’ve seen the news,” Steve said softly, and Bucky nodded. “I can’t believe it. Everything I’ve done since they pulled me out of the ice has been a lie. I fought HYDRA in the 40s and then suddenly I’m working for them, furthering their agenda? Without even knowing it? I’ve been a pawn for the enemy I thought I was fighting.”

Steve’s expression was lost, as though he’d had the ground pulled from under him. Bucky supposed that in a way he had.

Steve cleared his throat. “So, uh, anyway, the press are everywhere, and no one know what to do, and they know where I live so I couldn’t think of anywhere else to go, I’m sorry.”

Bucky gave him a lopsided smile. “You were right to come here. This was definitely the place.”

“Thanks,” Steve said quietly.

“Can I get you something? Coffee? A bath?”

Steve’s expression softened into something that was almost a smile. “A bath would be good. Thank you.”

***

While Steve was in the bath, Bucky got dressed, then changed the sheets on his bed and got out the guest bedding, figuring that he would stay on the sofa bed while Steve took his bed. After everything Steve had been through, Bucky was hardly going to relegate him to the rather old, rather worn sofa bed. 

When Steve came out of the bath, hair still damp, he was frowning.

“What’s wrong? Bath not good?”

Steve smiled at him. “The bath was great. It was exactly what I needed. No, some guy with a funny accent came into the bathroom while I was in there and looked super surprised to see me?”

 _Damnit_. “That would have been my roommate, Rhys. Don’t worry, he’s harmless. Mostly.” Bucky paused. “So, uh, you wanna go up to the roof garden and hang out?”

Steve brightened immediately. “You have a roof garden?”

“Yeah—if you want, you can grab a book and we can just chill for a while. I’ve got some weeding to do anyway.”

Steve nodded and went over to the bookcase, thinking for a few moments before pulling out an old, battered copy of Huckleberry Finn. Bucky grabbed his keys and his bag of gardening tools, and led Steve up to the roof garden. 

As soon as they were through the door, Steve stopped and looked around in wonder. “You did all this?” he asked softly.

Bucky nodded. “Yeah. I mean, I started it with my ex-wife, but then she left so here I am.”

“Oh.” Steve’s face twisted. “I’m sorry. What happened?”

Bucky shrugged. “She saw through me.”

“Ah. That’s never good.”

“No,” Bucky said with a laugh. “It never is.” He paused. "So, uh, what happened with your boyfriend?"

Steve snorted. "You mean the guy I'd broken up with a week before we met? I kicked his ass to the curb. Turned out he was Hydra anyway." Steves face twisted, and Bucky went with his gut and wrapped Steve in a hug. Being enveloped in those strong arms was a revelation for Bucky, but he pulled back after a few seconds, not wanting to push. 

Bucky began to work on his garden as Steve opened the book and began to read. The silence was surprisingly comfortable, and Bucky lost track of the time as he always did when he was working in his garden. 

Eventually the sun was getting low, and Bucky stood, stretching. “So. How do you feel about takeout pizza?”

Steve looked up at him and laughed.

***

That night, Bucky said goodnight to Steve at his bedroom door, then went back through to the living room, pulling out the sofa bed and making it up for himself. He got to sleep quickly, but woke around two a.m., and as he lay there in the dark he found himself unable to drift off again.

He heard footsteps padding down the hallway and his breath caught. Could it be…? He looked towards the living room door, and Rhys’s messy head poked around it.

“Rhys. What do you want.”

“So, uh. Captain America is in our flat.”

“Yes.”

“And you’re good friends.”

“Yes.”

“And he’s been very upset today.”

“Where are you going with this?” Bucky asked, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Well, wouldn’t this be the perfect time to… slip him one?”

“Rhys!” Bucky hissed, shocked.

“Okay, okay. Not the right time, I get it.” Rhys disappeared for a moment, before reappearing. “Do you mind if I—”

“Rhys!” Bucky sighed. “I will speak to you in the morning, okay?”

Rhys nodded and left again. A few moments later Bucky heard footsteps in the hallway again, coming into the room, and he groaned.

“Will you _fuck off_?”

“Sorry,” Steve said softly, and Bucky sat up so quickly he gave himself a head rush.

“No, wait! I… I thought you were someone else.” When Steve looked at him in confusion, Bucky clarified, “Rhys. I thought you were Rhys. I’m thrilled that you’re not.”

Steve sat on the bed next to Bucky, looking at him from under long eyelashes, and Bucky couldn’t help himself. He cupped Steve's cheek in his palm and, when Steve made no move to stop him, he leaned in to kiss him. The kiss quickly deepened, and Bucky pulled back. 

“We can’t do this here,” he whispered. “Rhys could walk in any minute.”

“Well, I happen to know there’s a bedroom down the hall that’s currently empty,” Steve said, eyes twinkling. 

Bucky grinned.

They tiptoed through to Bucky's bedroom, and as soon as they were inside, Steve wrapped those big arms around Bucky's waist, pulling him close. Bucky found himself clutching Steve's biceps, hanging on as Steve kissed him with bruising passion. He could feel Steve's cock hardening against his own, and pressed their hips together, making them both moan into the kiss. 

Steve pulled his hips away slightly, sliding his hand between their bodies to press against Bucky's cock. As Bucky gasped, Steve slipped his hand into Bucky's boxers and began stroking him lightly, just enough to tease.

“Fuck, Steve,” Bucky groaned. Steve grinned at him, drawing back so he could strip himself out of his t-shirt and boxers, and Bucky quickly followed suit. He looked up and his mouth went dry. 

Steve looked like a god naked.

A marble sculpted, perfect god.

Bucky might have let out a small whimper. 

His muscles were perfectly defined, and his cock was gorgeous, flushed deep pink as it stood out from the wiry hair at the base. Bucky had to taste him.

He dropped to his knees and grasped Steve's cock, licking and sucking around the head as Steve groaned. He smiled up at Steve, then took the head into his mouth and swallowed Steve's cock down, nose buried in his pubic hair. Steve let out a shuddering curse, petting the back of Bucky's head as Bucky drew back and began to tongue around the slit, working the base with his hand as he did so.

Bucky lost himself in the taste and smell, until he felt Steve pulling at his hand. He let go of Steve's cock with one last lick and stood, and Steve hauled him into a deep kiss. 

“Fuck, you’re good at that,” Steve murmured. “If you hadn’t stopped I was gonna come right down your throat.”

While Bucky wanted that some time in the future, right now he had one thing on his mind. “Don’t want that. Want you to fuck me,” he said hoarsely.

“Oh my god,” Steve responded with a strained laugh. “Yeah, fuck, Bucky, I want that too.”

Bucky threw back the comforter and took the lube and a condom out of the bedside cabinet, laying them on top before lying down on the bed. He bent his legs, planting his feet wide on the bed, and Steve bit his lip.

‘Fuck, Bucky, you’re so…” Steve trailed off and climbed onto the bed on top of Bucky, kissing him and frotting against him. 

Bucky groaned. “Come on, Steve, get your fingers in me, open me up for that big cock, come on, I want you.” 

Steve grinned down at him and snatched the lube from the bedside cabinet, coating his fingers then kissing Bucky deeply as he teased at his asshole. Bucky pushed down wantonly against Steve's fingers, desperate to have them inside of him already, and Steve quickly got the message. Bucky gasped as Steve pushed a finger inside of him, fingering him slowly. 

“Steve… I need…” Bucky panted, and Steve smiled softly down at him.

“It’s okay, Bucky. I’ve got you.”

He added a second finger, pressing against that spot inside of Bucky that made him cry out and his hips fly up off of the bed. As Steve worked Bucky open he kept kissing him, and Bucky gripped Steve's back with one hand while he worked his own cock with the other. 

Bucky heard himself whimpering and moaning as Steve fingered him, but he couldn’t stop, it felt too good. By the time Steve added a third finger, Bucky could feel Steve's hard cock leaking against his thigh, and it was making him want even more.

“Fuck, Steve, I’m ready,” he groaned. “Just get your cock in me already!”

“God, Bucky, you're so desperate to get fucked,” Steve growled. “So desperate for my cock inside of you, aren’t you?”

Hearing Captain fucking America, the squeaky clean hero, say those things nearly made Bucky come on the spot, but he managed to hold back as he nodded wildly.

“Please,” he managed, and Steve nodded. 

Steve took the condom from the bedside, grinning. “You know I don’t get or carry anything, right?”

Bucky gaped at him. “Not anything?”

“Superserum benefits,” Steve retorted.

Bucky plucked the condom from Steve's fingers and threw it across the room. “Then just fuck me. Fill me up with your come, come on, do it.”

Steve closed his eyes briefly, and when he looked back down at Bucky the hunger in his eyes nearly took Bucky's breath away.

Bucky watched as Steve slicked up his cock in the lube before positioning himself. As he began to push inside, Bucky's head dropped back on the pillow and he groaned, clawing at Steve's back as he was filled by that gorgeous big cock. The pressure was almost too much to bear until Steve was fully seated and Bucky's body started to adjust.

Steve looked down at him and Bucky nodded. Steve kissed the tip of his nose before beginning to move. Bucky gasped and gripped Steve's forearms as Steve fucked him deep and hard. 

“Fuck, Steve,” he moaned, and Steve nodded, shifting angle until his cock started hitting that spot inside Bucky, making him cry out on every thrust. His hand slipped between their bodies to stroke himself, and Steve bit his lip. 

“Yeah, Bucky, that’s it, touch yourself while I fuck you, god, want to see you fall apart for me so bad.”

Bucky nodded, feeling his orgasm building. “Fuck, Steve, keep fucking me, don’t stop, oh my god, _Steve_!” and his cock pulsed as he came over his own stomach and chest. 

“Oh my god, Bucky, fuck, I’m gonna come, fuck, fuck!” Steve fucked into him two, three more times, before coming with a cry, and Bucky hauled him down into a deep kiss. 

Steve sat back and carefully pulled out, biting his lip. “Fuck, you look so good with my come in your ass.”

“Yeah? You watching your own come drip out of my ass?” Bucky asked languidly.

Steve’s response was to press two fingers inside as they kissed, and Bucky inexplicably found himself getting hard again. He couldn’t help it—he started to laugh. Steve was actually magical.

***

The following morning they woke up and traded lazy kisses before pulling on sweatpants and t-shirts, then heading through to the kitchen for breakfast. Bucky opened the kitchen window to let in some air, and then frowned at the noise from outside. It sounded as though a mob had gathered outside, and when he looked out he realized he wasn’t far off. 

What looked like half the press in New York were outside, and Bucky gaped. “Fuck, Steve! They’ve found you!”

“Found me?” Steve glanced out the window and his eyes widened, mouth hanging open. 

“How could they possibly know where you are?”

Steve’s eyes narrowed. “That fucking roommate of yours, that’s how. Probably thought he’d make a few dollars exposing the whereabouts of Captain America.”

"Wow, okay, that's not very fair," Bucky said quietly, and Steve hung his head. 

"Yeah, I guess not, although I don't see how else they could have figured it out." He sighed. "I should go. I have to… figure some stuff out. I'd hoped to do that here, but I guess not. I can't expose you to this."

"I don't mind," Bucky said softly, but it was like Steve hadn't even heard him as he picked up his phone. 

"Tony? Yeah, it's me. My brilliant plan wasn't quite so brilliant. Yeah, if you could send a car that'd be great. Okay, thanks."

He ended the call and shook his head. "I'd better get dressed. The car should be here soon."

"Steve…" Bucky reached for him helplessly, but Steve had already gone back to the bedroom. He buried his face in his hands. Could nothing in his life go right?

When he came back out of the bedroom, Steve's face was set. The buzzer rang and Bucky looked out. 

"There's a big black car outside," he said dully. 

Steve nodded, heading toward the door. "Uh. I'll be in touch," he said, in a tone that implied he definitely wouldn't. 

"Okay." Bucky's voice came out in a whisper, and Steve left. 

***

It turned out that Rhys had been so excited about having Captain America staying in the apartment that he'd let it slip to a few of his friends at the bar. He looked so forlorn that Bucky didn't punch him, even though he wanted to. It wasn't his fault he hadn't realized the consequences. 

Months passed. Spring turned to summer turned to fall, and there was no word from Steve. The Avengers as a whole seemed to be laying low. 

It was six months since he'd seen Steve, and Carl and Tessa were having a dinner party, with copious amounts of wine. Their whole group was drunk, and Bucky wobbled slightly as he stood up and cleared his throat. 

"I have an announcement to make. I know I've been kind of a miserable bastard since the whole mess with Steve, and I've decided that's it. I'm done. I'm gonna get back to my old self, and forget all about him."

Everyone applauded, but about half an hour later, as he was sitting with Carl, his friend leaned over and murmured, "So you're done with the superhero, then?"

"I am," Bucky replied decidedly. 

"So I guess it wouldn't interest you to know that he's back in New York, staying temporarily at the Avengers Tower?"

Bucky closed his eyes and squeezed them shut. "Oh."

"So not, perhaps, over the superhero."

Bucky shrugged. "He should be easy enough to avoid. It's not like our paths are likely to cross."

"Hmm," Carl hummed, but dropped the subject. Bucky was glad. It would be fine. He could keep living his normal life, without Steve. It was all fine. 

***

Wandering through Central Park on a beautiful fall day was a luxury Bucky couldn't usually afford, busy as he was with his vinyl store, but it had been too nice to be cooped up inside. The fallen leaves crunched pleasantly under his feet as he walked towards his favorite tree. When he got there, however, a man was sitting under it, drawing in a large sketchbook. 

As Bucky neared, and the man’s features came into focus, he gasped. It was Steve. 

Steve looked up as Bucky turned on his heel to escape, and he heard Steve calling his name softly. Sighing, he turned around, plastering a fake smile on his face. 

"Hi, Steve."

"Bucky. Wow, you look good."

"Thanks." There was a heavy silence. "Uh, anyway, I'd better get going…"

"Wait." It was almost a whisper. "There are… things to say, if you don't mind."

Bucky took a deep, fortifying breath, then sat on the ground near Steve, but leaving a good amount of space between them. Steve's expression turned sad. "I… I should have called. Or at least texted. I just… I wasn't in a good place, you know? And I was basically in hiding. It's not a good excuse. I know that. I guess I just… and by the time I was ready, so much time had passed, I figured that it was too much time. And I'm sorry." He frowned. "I have… thought of you. A lot. And I was wondering if maybe… maybe you could give us another chance?"

Bucky's heart was thudding in his chest, and when he tried to speak it came out as a croak. "I don't…" He cleared his throat. "I don't know, Steve. I don't know if it's such a good idea. You and I, we live in different worlds, and I don't want to be the person you date to help fix you after everything you've been through."

"You wouldn't be, though," Steve replied softly. "That's not… you wouldn't be."

Bucky shook his head. "I can't take that chance. I can't have my heart broken again. I don't think I'd be able to cope."

The hope in Steve's eyes disappeared, to be replaced by a deep sadness. It hurt Bucky just to look at him. "Oh. Okay. No problem. I just—I wish you every happiness." He paused, then held out his sketchbook. "Something to remember me by?"

"Thank you." Bucky took the sketchbook, hugging it to his chest as he watched Steve walk away. He opened the book to the first page. At first it was portraits of the Avengers—Tony Stark here, Black Widow there. But after a few pages, there was the same face over again. Laughing. Smiling. Deep in thought. Bucky flicked through the pages, seeing himself on every page in every mood, and his heart sank. 

He'd made a terrible mistake. 

He looked up, seeing Steve in the distance. 

Bucky ran. 

Clutching the sketchbook close he sprinted after Steve, calling his name when he reached a few yards away. Steve looked up, his eyes widening when he saw Bucky running towards him. 

"I'm an idiot," Bucky panted as he reaches Steve, skidding to a halt. "I'm such an idiot, I should have trusted you, and if you'll have me I'd like to give us another shot."

Steve's expression turned delighted, and he pulled Bucky in close, wrapping his arms around him and pressing their foreheads together. 

"Be sure," he said quietly, "because I don't intend to ever let you go."

"I'm sure," Bucky replied, unable to stop himself from trembling at the intensity in Steve's tone. 

Steve's smile could have lit up the city as he leaned in, kissing Bucky softly. And Bucky?

Bucky felt like he'd found what he'd been looking for at last.


End file.
